Elders (65+) Therapists in Minnetonka, MN

Are you interested in how to use the connections between your mind, brain and body to improve your health, enrich your relationships, and increase your overall life? Working with these connections has been the focus of my 30 years of practice as a psychologist. Since every client's presenting concern in some way or another impacts upon their brain, their mind and their body - whether that involves depression, anxiety, pain, sleep, relationship challenges, or digestive concerns - my orientation to therapy is well positioned to help people get better now and to be better positioned to stay healthier in the future.

Are you experiencing a nagging feeling that your life is not aligned with your true self or with where you want it to be heading? Are you feeling lost, stuck, or unhappy? This is the voice of your subconscious. I encourage you to listen to your instinct and trust that you have the power to do something about it. It is absolutely possible for anyone to improve their lives regardless of where they are at now or where they came from. It is recognized that each individual's needs are as unique as they are.

A choice to seek out therapy often occurs at a very difficult time, when you have become overwhelmed by painful events, life changes, or the pressures of your life. While I may be unable to move those mountains for you, I am here to support you as you climb. We all need a little help sometimes, and a space to be fully ourselves. Facing fears, healing from loss, navigating complex relationship difficulties or professional demands – these are among the inevitable tasks of life. I’ve learned from years of experience that even in these most difficult moments, we can reconnect with meaning and joy, and pave the way toward lasting change.

I believe personal agency is key to finding meaning in distressing scenarios and growing from them. I use both Existential and solution-oriented approaches when engaging with clients and provide individuals, couples, and families with tools for self-awareness and self-empowerment through a mixture of theoretical models tailored to the client’s strengths and needs. I work to help clients establish more adaptive patterns of thinking with humor, empathy, and respect. While I will explore root causes of issues, I emphasize the importance of personal growth and identifying personal strengths.

Do you feel like you are having the same arguments with your partner, your child, or yourself? It is such a frustrating experience when you desperately want things to be different but can't figure out how to change them. That's where I come in! I consider it my privilege when my clients allow me to help them on their journey to leading a happier, more fulfilling life. I create a calm, caring, supportive, and non-judgmental environment to begin your therapeutic journey.

Grief is ever-present within our lives. Whether it’s an abrupt shift in our daily routine, a noticeable difference within ourselves, or a transition of our career, we experience it. We feel it after a change in our relationship, the loss of a pet, or, a heartbreaking death of a loved one. All change results in loss of some sort, and that which accompanies it, is grief. Grief can leave us feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and scared. We feel exposed and vulnerable. We begin to question ourselves and the world we are in. Whatever your grief, know that I will honor it.

Do you find yourself discouraged with the demands of life or with not finding healthy relationships? Do you feel alone with the circumstances in your life? I specialize in working with depression, anxiety, chronic health, chronic pain, grief, abuse, trauma, autism, ADHD, mental illness, marriage issues, and parenting.

Reducing or eliminating emotional eating is my therapeutic focus. At this time I am only able to accept clients interested in our "Why Can't I Stop Eating?" program. If you are eating secretly, eating past fullness or when not hungry, feeling shame after eating or using food to deal with emotions, consider attending the "Why Can't I Stop Eating?" program which includes a weekly 2 hour Skills (classroom-type) group and weekly individual therapy. Persons participating in bariatric programs are also welcome in the Why Can't I Stop Eating? group.

How many therapists did your parents have you see as a kid? Has anybody in your life commented on your "adoption issues"? How many times a day do you ask yourself where and how do I fit in? Maybe the mindset you used to help yourself survive childhood is now hindering your growth in adulthood. Why aren't there more therapists who are adoptees? These are some of many questions and issues I hope that we can work on together. I aspire, because I am an adoptee, to have you spend less time explaining what adoption was, and more time working on current issues.

My goal is to assist you in learning life skills to thrive and find meaning, joy and love. Our clinic has a warm, supportive environment enabling you to learn more deeply how to live these skills and create a life that makes a "world of difference". We will work together holistically to emphasize your individual positive strengths drawn on for the healing process. These approaches work well for coordinated treatment with other medical providers and professionals (examples: MD's, psychiatrist, chiropractors, massage therapists).

I work with individuals, couples and families who are having feelings such as depression, anxiety, anger and grief. Creating an atmosphere that is both safe and challenging, I help clients gain a perspective that allows them to be clearer about themselves, their interaction with others and their personal and professional direction. I also specialize in consulting and coaching with business leaders and their organizations. With encouragement, support and genuine concern for my clients, I use all the tools I've gathered through 25 years of professional training and experience to facilitate this process.

Life is hard, sometimes! Therapy provides you with that extra support as well as the opportunity to grow, evolve and learn new ways to cope with life's challenges. I believe the trust and rapport built between a client and therapist forms the foundation of all progress made in therapy. This relationship supports increasing awareness of the present, identifying what is no longer working, setting long term goals and taking small steps toward those goals. Building a life based in vitality, hope and an increased capacity for joy rather than one filled with suffering, avoidance and futility.

We believe emotional wellness matters (a lot), and that everyone has the right to make it a priority. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. So many questions can get in the way. Maybe you’ve even asked them yourself: Is this normal? Can talking to someone really help me? What is therapy all about, anyway? What would people say if they knew I was going? How do I find the right therapist? Will I be comfortable there? When will I find the time? Will my insurance pay for this? If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. And we can help. To learn more, visit www.sonderwellness.com

Have you noticed that you feel as if you have lost yourself to your own emotional reactions? Are you overworking yourself and just can't seem to get a break, where your life is hectic and not manageable? When you wake up in the morning, do you notice that you are hit immediately with feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or even hopeless? And when you think about yourself are you overcome with shame that you just can't “get over it”? And even though it is natural to have a shame response to these life experiences, the experiences themselves are rarely helpful and often harmful to live within. Also, I'm a Board Approved Supervisor!

Dr. Mary Auster Shanesy is a Licensed Psychologist whose professional journey has taken her from an inner-city community mental health clinic, to a brain injury hospital, to working with the serious and persistently mentally ill, to helping incarcerated offenders, and finally to her current work with every day, average, “normal” people just like all of us. Dr. Shanesy has focused her energies on helping individuals who want to free themselves from the suffering created by lies, and is the author of Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life: The Lies That Bind, and the Problem with Happily Ever .

I have been providing adult individual, couples and group therapy for over 20 years. I listen carefully to address the individual concerns of each client and I incoorperate the whole person, emotions, body, mind and spiritual support to therapy. My gentleness and sense of hope helps clients feel safe and open up to learnng about themsleves to make the changes they desire. Clients tell me that they feel that care about them and help them in many areas of their life - developing life long coping tools.